One Microphone, Five Minutes, And €50,000

Luxembourg's fintech scene is not quite like anything I've seen elsewhere. Startup contests—and I've been to loads—all share a common energy, an ambitious spirit, a love of the future and the futuristic. Fintech in Luxembourg has all that, of course, but it has something else too. It has a relaxed togetherness, forged by the smallness of the country and the immediacy of its scene. It's as if the stage is smaller while the stakes are bigger.

Picture a 30-something CEO whose company is just six months old, mingling in a small room with Luxembourg's finance minister, reps from major innovation hubs, senior people from global banks and fund houses, and expert consultants—that's what I mean. Everything seems within reach.